DBQ Essay
Around the 7th-14th century trades were at an all time high. Regions
were developing their government, religions, and societies. Trade routes were
made from city to city, and also to ports, to make trading easy. And along
with trade came the spread of belief systems and diseases. Societies were
impacted greatly by long distance trading and the spread of goods, beliefs,
and diseases.
Through the trade of goods, societies were able to develop new
technologies, make new recipes, and just have access to resources that they
previously didn’t. Thanks to the trade of goods, East Africa had access to tea,
pilaf, and other foods and spices brought by Indian traders. East Africa also
gained tools for sailing because of their trades in the Monsoon Marketplace.
And from China came the magnetic compass. Europe was able to trade for
silk which was exported from the Ottoman empire. “Muslim sailors
popularized the astrolabe which made it easier to navigate by the stars. Boats
using stern-post rudders were easier to steer, so that technology quickly
spread throughout the Monsoon Marketplace” (Document 1.3), these sailing
technologies greatly benefited East Africa by making it easier to sail and get
around. China provided the magnetic compass “Technology spread, too.
Like the magnetic compass...came from China” (Document 1.3) which
makes navigation far easier. Document 1.2 says that tea and pilaf came
from India to east africa, and other various edible items came from
Southeast Asia, “ Spices and foodstuffs like rice were shipped from
Southeast Asia and especially Sri Lanka where black pepper was a primary
export good” (Document 1.3). Whether it be something simple like new
foods and spices for recipes, or something a little more revolutionary like
stern-post rudders and magnetic compasses, these things acquired through
trade greatly impacted societies and improved quality of life all over.
Traders didn't just sell their goods while out on their travels. They also
spread their belief systems, whether that be their government, religion, or just
ideas. Different ideas were spread and traded throughout different parts of the
world. For example, different styles of government and law, and religious
acts such as donating to a god or religious figure to receive something in
return like refuge and safety. Different government ideas were adopted by
one region for another, “Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa
developed Islamic forms of government and law. Muslim rulers in West
Africa adopted some of these ideas. One important change concerned the line
of succession, or inheritance of the right to rule. In West Africa, succession to
the throne had been matrilineal. This [means] the right to rule was traced
through a woman, rather than a man...After the arrival of Islam, succession
became patrilineal. Under this system the right to rule passed from father to
son.” (Document 2.1). And as traders came into the area, Buddhists would
inform them on their religion often resulting in wealthy people donating to
the religion. “The close relationship between Buddhism and trade [on the Silk
Road] is largely due to the reliance of the Buddhist monastic community on
donations from lay supporters... In return for their material donations to
Buddhist monasteries, donors received religious merit… since such sacred
gifts provided opportunities for more devotees to worship the Buddha's body
or teachings. Wealthy merchants and powerful rulers were particularly
encouraged to be very generous in return for practical benefits, such as refuge
and protection from real and perceived dangers while traveling, and status or
legitimacy by acting as patrons of religious institutions” (Document 2.4).
Sometimes regions adopt entirely new religions due to the fact that there are
many traders of that religion in the area, “For instance today, more Muslims
live in Indonesia than in any other country...Knowing what you’ve already
learned about the growth of Islam and the spread of trade, it won’t surprise
you to learn that Islam spread to Indonesia via the Monsoon Marketplace
(Indian Ocean Trade)” (Document 2.5). Trade greatly influenced the spread
of different beliefs, religions, and ideas solely by traders going around and
informing others on their beliefs.
Due to trade, diseases ran rampant in some cities and could lead to
major population loss or even the destruction of the entire city. Trade could
bring some unwanted guests to places in the form of diseases. If a traveling
trader had a disease and went city to city trading, they could have spread this
disease to a number of different cities and possibly killed hundreds of people
without even knowing it. “The plague began in the land of farness. China was
not preserved from it. The plague infected the Indians in India, the Sind, the
Persians, and the Crimea. The plague destroyed mankind in Cairo. It stilled
all movement in Alexandria” (Document 3.3). The plague spread all
throughout Asia, Europe, and into Africa. Traders accidentally took it with
them while going town to town, country to country, and nothing could stand
in its way. It took out the entire city of Messina and Catania. “At the
beginning of October... 1347, twelve Genoese galleys entered the harbor of
Messina... In their bones they bore so virulent a disease that anyone who only
spoke to them was seized by a mortal illness and in no manner could evade
death. The infection spread to everyone who had any contact with the
diseased… At the beginning of October... 1347, twelve Genoese galleys
entered the harbor of Messina... In their bones they bore so virulent a disease
that anyone who only spoke to them was seized by a mortal illness and in no
manner could evade death. The infection spread to everyone who had any
contact with the diseased ....” (Document 3.2). The plague was so deadly it
could spread just by touching or speaking with someone who had it. In
document 3.1, the map shows that the area with the most trade routes, also
had the most plague outbreaks. If only 12 Genoese galleys can wipe out two
whole cities, imagine the impact all the traders that had the plague could have
on societies across multiple contenents. Societies definitely had to rethink
how they did things to keep the society and all of their people safe.
Through the trade of goods, societies were able to develop new
technologies, make new recipes, and just have access to resources that they
previously didn’t. Traders didn't just sell their goods while out on their
travels. They also spread their belief systems, whether that be their
government, religion, or just ideas. Due to trade, diseases ran rampant in
some cities and could lead to major population loss or even the destruction of
the entire city. Societies were impacted greatly by long distance trading and
the spread of goods, beliefs, and diseases. Around the 7th-14th century trades
were at an all time high. Regions were developing their government,
religions, and societies. Trade routes were made from city to city, and also to
ports, to make trading easy. And along with trade came the spread of belief
systems and diseases.